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Forum:2007-03-13. What makes (or breaks!) a HA! fanfic?, by Lilchamor
Lilchamor, 3/13/2007 3:22 AM :First and foremost: I'm not here to diss anyone's story!! But I thought it might be beneficial to have a thread where writers and/or readers could give their opinion of what makes or breaks a good HA! fanfic. Fanfic writers, or people that are thinking of writing a fanfic, could follow the advice of others. I know that many people hear have read a wide variety of HA! fanfics, so their opinions and advice could be very helpful! In my opinion: 1.) I know that I stop reading a fanfic if the grammar is really bad. To me, it says that the writer doesn't really care about the story or the quality thereof. Take some time to spellcheck! 2.) Original=good! I didn't realize when I started my current story that there were so many plots similar to mine. I had to find a way to make it original (I'm still not sure if I've succeded!). Put the characters in unusual situations, environments, shock the reader, give them something original! 3.) Make it realistic. When people are extremely OOC (out of character), I find the story hard to buy. If they are OOC, try to make a reason for them being so. This is all I can think of for now. ---- Sent: 3/15/2007 5:37 PM :This message has been deleted by the author. ---- mxnhpfreak, 3/15/2007 5:47 PM :this is weird. I wasn't asked my password to reply to this... oh well, MS is just plain weird at times... What-a-wonderful-topic! Lilchamor, I'll have to say that this is an extremely interesting topic to discuss. Congratulations and thank you for creating this thread. OK, people, all of you have said things that are too true-- too freaking true! And I'd hate to repeat what you've said, but I want to give my opinion on this. (Warning, this may be long... too long, indeed.) * Grammar & spelling. Everybody makes mistakes. Typos and some bad punctuation may occur from distraction and I can understand it, seeing as sometimes I make mistakes, myself. However, a fanfic that's plagued of errors it's just too annoying to be enjoyable. I am mexican, so my mother language isn't English, but it astounds me sometimes that there's people from the US, Canada, UK-- whatever English-speaking country you may think of-- and their grammar/spelling are far worse than mine! Though I don't think mine is too bad, but how can I understand the language better than those for whom it isn't foreign? I just don't get it. People who can't write one phrase without making at least three mistakes, that's what bugs me the most. And I may start to read the fanfic. Heck, I may even finish it because I can be very patient, but I'd definitely wouldn't leave a review (if you have nothing nice to say, then you better say nothing at all). * Originality This must be the hardest part for a fanfiction author. To come up with a plot that hasn't been explored by any other of the thousands (or even millions, in case of other fandoms) fans out there, or the creator of the fandom, himself. In the HA! universe is extremely hard to come up with an unexplored plot. It isn't impossible, though, but this is not the most important thing. A "recycled plot" can be re-explored a zillion times as long as it can be 'decorated' with small twists (big ones are better in most cases, though), a different perspective or, at least, a quality style. I think the plot for the only WIP I've posted so far, is fairly original. As far as I know, there's only two or three more stories dealing with kidnap and they're not way too similar to "An Arnold Thing To Do". I have, however, one more fic to come and I know it has a "recycled plot" (very, recycled, by the way) but I'll make an effort to "spice it up" to make it enjoyable and worth reading. * OOC. This is very tricky beacuse of the aging and all those things you've already said and I agree with. You must have a very good and believable reason to make someone OOC. There's one thing I once read from a very good author in the Harry Potter fandom: "it makes me more uncomfortable to write something out of character than it does to write a non-canon plot. Because a) all fanfic is a non-canon plot anyway, and b) trying to get the characters as close to canon as possible is something I believe strongly in." I think it's true. And I have always been worried about my portrayal of the characters being accurate. I don't know if I've achieved it, but I certainly hope I have. I'd love to keep going on with this would be rant, but I don't want to bore you to death, so just one more thing before I go: I agree that there's plenty of extremely bad summaries and that they're of enormous importance but, personally, there's something I dislike from FF.N: they only allow extremely short reviews and sometimes it gets hard to write a good summary in few words (IMHO). I hope some of you find this useful =) -- Claudia (a.k.a. mxnhpfreak) ---- Greenorbs2, 3/16/2007 2:44 AM :Regarding OOC Characters: If there's no reason behind an OOC character, I'd say the author of that fanfic has a serious problem. Spelling/Grammar: My BA in English Lit does not mean I'm incapable of making mistakes. I make plenty. However, I agree that numerous errors can make a fic trying to read. Age Progression: Repeating myself here, this is FAN fiction, not a "cookie cutter carbon copy" of the actual television show. Yes, some of these are great fics too. (Yes, I quoted somebody here) Regarding Script Form: I rather enjoy reading this style of writing, but...in case you haven't read "the rules" it's no longer allowed on ff.net. Hey, I've previously broken some rules too. Believability: This is an extremely difficult task, especially when the series itself had a few unbelievable eps while, at the same time, used reality in the human condition of the characters. I respect each and every author who's able to pull this off. When you do that, you're basically stripping the show of its essence. Keep in mind, Craig did create an older version of Helga for "The Patakis". Not only that, but I think the right kind of author could possibly pull this one off by keeping the characters' main core in tact. Respect your fellow fanfic authors: No matter if a fic is "good" or "bad", every fanfic author is a fan of some type of media be it HA! or LOTR and deserves respect. These authors had enough courage to honor this media just by submitting a story. Final Words: This is once again, FANFICTION. If you don't like the HA! fanfic you're reading, there's a stream of them out there, so try all of them on and sooner or later you'll find one that fits your size. -Jae- ---- Lilchamor, 3/18/2007 12:22 AM :Ah, yes, the wonderful angst. I think HA!, though it is a kid's cartoon, does have a lot of dark undertones to it. Arnold doesn't have parents, and Helga has family troubles (and other troubles, as well). Naturally people pick up on that, and want to expand on it. Many angst fics are extremely popular. I don't mind angst. My style of writing is usually dark anyway, no matter I'm writing. I don't know why, it's just the way it turns out! Lol. However, humor is also good. I'd like to see someone pull off a humor/angst fic. Maybe I'll attempt it myself one day. Some other things I thought of: 1) Please don't writer one or two liners. Just. Don't. They're against the ffn rules, but despite that, most writers can't pull them off well. I love one-shots, because most are done extremely well, but stories that are less than, say, four paragraphs usually aren't worth reading. If someone can find a story that proves me wrong, go for it, but for now this remains my opinion. 2.) If reviews are the blood and life for your story, that's not good. It annoys me when the future of a story depends on how many reviews the writer gets. If you want to write it, write it. I've seen authors put things in their notes such as "I'm not writing chapter 2 until I get at least 5 reviews". Yes, the number of reviews is often an indication of the quality of the story. However, new writers may not be as good as others (or as well known), and therefore not get as many reviews. So what if you only get four reviews per chapter? Not everyone who reads, reviews, anyway. Just write it! ---- SekiraO_O1, 3/18/2007 6:57 AM :Steeve, you are a genious. I'm reading "The Masterplan" and putting it in script format was a fantastic idea. Too often FanFics go into so much detail it loses the rhythm that the show had. You have managed to mainain the feel and flavour of the show and kept it all new and interesting, but it would have been nice if Helga's valentine poem had rhymed like the one in "Little Pink Book". ---- Laurel_A, 3/18/2007 11:06 PM : > > Ah, yes, the wonderful angst. I think HA!, though it is a >kid's cartoon, does have a lot of dark undertones to it. Arnold doesn't >have parents, and Helga has family troubles (and other troubles, as well). >Naturally people pick up on that, and want to expand on it. Many angst fics >are extremely popular. I don't mind angst. My style of writing is usually >dark anyway, no matter I'm writing. I don't know why, it's just the way it >turns out! Lol. However, humor is also good. I'd like to see someone pull >off a humor/angst fic. Maybe I'll attempt it myself one day. > >Some other things I thought of: > >1) Please don't writer one or two liners. Just. Don't. They're against the >ffn rules, but despite that, most writers can't pull them off well. I love >one-shots, because most are done extremely well, but stories that are less >than, say, four paragraphs usually aren't worth reading. If someone can >find a story that proves me wrong, go for it, but for now this remains my >opinion. >2.) If reviews are the blood and life for your story, that's not good. It >annoys me when the future of a story depends on how many reviews the writer >gets. If you want to write it, write it. I've seen authors put things in >their notes such as "I'm not writing chapter 2 until I get at least 5 >reviews". Yes, the number of reviews is often an indication of the quality >of the story. However, new writers may not be as good as others (or as well >known), and therefore not get as many reviews. So what if you only get four >reviews per chapter? Not everyone who reads, reviews, anyway. Just write >it! I'm going to add in my 0.02 into this conversation. I have to agree with some of the complants. As writer who loves writing our characters teen and older I am guilty of some incredible sap and possible a bit of agnst. But mostly sap. Why don't I write them as age nine? Although I do think I have one or two stories at that age I do the majority of them older because I'm a shipper at heart. A large group of poeple who read and write fac fic are. And writing them at age nine romance is just kind of creepy. I think one of the few people able to pull that off was Lord Malachite in his series "The Sweet Hereafter". Anyway I digress. Bad spelling is bad. I admit, I misspell words in my sotires and even miss them in editing. When I go back and reread some of my things and find a misspelled word, i just cringe. Unfortunately a bad title or tag line will push people off a good story. I have missed many a good story because the title or the tag lines didn't catch my attention. I will admit, I'm not the queen of catchy tag lines, but I at least hope my titles are enough to get people to stop when they're searching for a fic. One shots are good. One liners...I'm not so sure. I just read a great five part story that told everything that needed to be told in drabbles. Does that count? Because it was pretty flippin good. I agree if the lifeblood reviews also. Ask for reviews are fine, but don't hold it for ransom. Chances are, your story wasn't all that good in the first place and seriously, you don't want me reviewing on your story if it isn't good. Not that I flame, because that's just rude. But if your holding review ransom, chances are, you don't know what to do with constructive critisism. Here's my biggest pet peeve: people who never finish stories. That drives me nuts quicker than anything else. Especially if the story is good. There are only two stories on the HA fic line that I waited for. Heidi Patacki's "Ribbons/Hair/Never/There" was one. And Lord Malachite has the second. The rest, if the story isn't finished, chances are your readers will forget all about it and move on to the next big thing by the time you get around to finishing it. Everyone has they're own favorite type of story to read. There are some types I refuse to read becasue I don't read that way. It doesn't mean they're bad, it just means they aren't my cup of tea. But again, I'm sure there are a couple of people who can't stand they way I write either. Oh well. I don't get many reviews, but there's this wonderful thing on FF.net when you log in called "stats". Click on it and it shows how many times your story has been hit, how many people put in their favs and how many people reviewed. So I know people have been reading. And although I like the reviews (who doesn't), they aren't my lifeblood for writing. Oh and BTW, Lord Malachite? My birthday's in August. Can I have another chapter of IG. I need some resolutions ,dammit! Laurel _________________________________________________________________ Get a FREE Web site, company branded e-mail and more from Microsoft Office Live! http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/mcrssaub0050001411mrt/direct/01/ ---- Sent: 3/20/2007 5:28 AM :This message has been deleted by the manager or assistant manager. ---- Cool, 3/20/2007 5:31 AM : But Hey Arnold is a television program. And yes, there are some little things that you can derive from the show that makes it to appeal to older audience, but in essence it's just a cartoon. A KID'S SHOW. It's not to be taken too seriously, which is why I write in script format. In my opinion, a good HA! fanfic reads like an actual episode from the show. This is very true. Script format is good for fanfics that run like episodes, because it just reads alot better to get fast paced jokes and humor that otherwise would be wasted on a more paragragh style of writing. FF.net is stupid for not allowing it, its a perfect way to write a fanfic and there is nothing wrong with it. Steve, I remember when you told me one of your fav HA! fanfics. Well, I tried to read it a while back, but I couldn't finish it. Yeah, I think it was that "Same In The End" fic. Wow, I haven't read that fic now in almost four years. It makes me wonder since time has passed and my fandom not as rabid anymore, if i read it now would i still consider it my #1 fanfic, or would have its impression weakend on me? I dunno. Its like seeing a cartoon after a long time and it not having the same feel anymore, just cause its too kiddie and such. (Heh, on YT I just saw an episode of Samuri Pizza Cats, first time in over ten years, and it was actually pretty good for an old anime. But not quite the same as it was when I was a kid back in early 90's.) take themselves TOO FRICKIN' SERIOUSLY. Here-here! :) I agree. When you do that, you're basically stripping the show of its essence. Now when I read a HA! fanfic, it's not a non-canonical episode, IT'S A FRICKIN' DAWSON CREEK RIP OFF. I'M SICK OF IT. LOL, yes. Fics like this always remind me of shows themed like that. For some reason "Orange County" always comes to my mind. And a lot of the fanfics are just swimming in it. Helga's an angsty teen, Arnold dies, Arnold ends up with Phoebe in high-school, Miriam has a drinking problem, Curly becomes "Columbinesque" gun-toter, Helga is abused, Arnold moves away, Helga attempts suicide...ENOUGH ALREADY, DAMMIT! Done your research, you make good points. What about a little more uplifting, say, Helga enters a lil' miss beauty pageant, or Arnold enters Abner in a pet show, or Lorenzo tries out for the soccer team, or...I dunno...Suzie enters a reality tv show similar "Bachelor" to spite Oskar? I can find every one of those believble except Helga in a beauty pageant. And another thing that gets my goat - putting the characters into OUR universe. This is not "This Simpsons", people. The characters in Hey Arnold drink Yahoo!, not Yoohoo!. The male idol hearthrob is Ronnie Matthews, not Ricky Martin. Big Bob doesn't watch Wheel of Fortune, he watches "The Wheel". I'm half and half on this subject. While I do like that certian cartoons take place in their own univrese, I do like it once in a while when a cartoon makes a couple of real life referances, i just think it makes it better. I don't like it when celebrity names/TV shows and songs are changed, that really gets my goat. HA! kinda went in and out of this thing - they paraoided Regis and Kelly in "Stinky Goes Hollywood, but freely mention Guns N Roses, Tiffany and Run-DMC in the "Dino Checks Out" episode. Like HA! kids are gonna know those acts, LOL. Some wrent even born yet. FYI, I think "The Wheel" can be taken as the real "Wheel of Fortune", he's just too lazy to say the name. Perosnally, I don't think they sell Yoohoo here, never heard of it. I'm not about to drudge through them all to find the ones that are actually ABOUT the show and not some crazy, angsty, melodramatic shell bearing resemblance only the characters names. That would be a long drudge, as a small percentage of those fics take place in the grade school show universe. Lilchamor, I'll have to say that this is an extremely interesting topic to discuss. Congratulations and thank you for creating this thread First hot thread in a long while, we needed this. It isn't impossible, though, but this is not the most important thing. A "recycled plot" can be re-explored a zillion times as long as it can be 'decorated' with small twists (big ones are better in most cases, though), a different perspective or, at least, a quality style. Very true. This is an extremely difficult task, especially when the series itself had a few unbelievable eps while, at the same time, used reality in the human condition of the characters. I respect each and every author who's able to pull this off. I suppose an author must really know the human condition and have many life experiances so they can make a good fic. i mean, you can see differances in quality in fics when the age of the author is lower, while fics written by older people may read better because these people have lived more of a life and knows what its all about. It also helps if your a pop-cultre junkie, and have seen many sitcoms and movies and such that showcase the human condition, etc. However, humor is also good. I'd like to see someone pull off a humor/angst fic How do you pull off a fic like that? How can a fic be full of dark, depressing angst and yet make me laugh? That would be a challange. If reviews are the blood and life for your story, that's not good. I'll be honest, I'm somewhat of a review whore. I wont post-phone a chapter of a fic just cause i dont get enough reviews, but I like getting alot of reviews because it helps me with the story and where to take it. Alot of feedback helps out. I remember in my one chaptered story this one reviewer gave me a great idea, and i ended up inserting a totally new chapter that was never originally intended. Yes, the number of reviews is often an indication of the quality of the story. NOT ALWAYS. In turth, if myself, and other fic writiers out there had posted some of our stories years ago when HA! was more popular, these stories more than likey would have gotten more reviews. I bet there are some great new fics right now, posted over the past two years. But with the way HA! fic writiers/readers have diminished over the years, these great fics never have a chance to get big with readers because the whole reader base is smaller than it once was. Also, I've seen some fics that the qulaity was pretty crappy, and yet they have gotten more reviews then somemore deserving stories. I know i feel some jealosuly when I see a fic, that has less or the same amount of text/chapters as one of my fics, and its got alot more reviews and is pretty shotty. Steeve, you are a genious. I'm reading "The Masterplan" and putting it in script format was a fantastic idea. Why, thank ya. Shhh! Don't tell ff.net ;) You have managed to mainain the feel and flavour of the show and kept it all new and interesting, but it would have been nice if Helga's valentine poem had rhymed like the one in "Little Pink Book". I liked that poem, that was all ME bein' original. And remember, Shaun Blankenship gave that story a great big boost in quality. He knew HA! like no other, sad to say he really isnt in tune with the HA! world anymore, or in tune with this world either. Trying to get a reply to an e-mail these days from him is like pulling teeth, and I've known him for four years. And writing them at age nine romance is just kind of creepy. Arnold and the gang were pretty much pushing ten by the end of the series, and you know who mature they were already as kids. I think you could age them up to 12 years old and still keep them in character. Its 13 and over where puburity, high school, etc, starts to change you. Bad spelling is bad. I admit, I misspell words in my sotires and even miss them in editing. Caught you! OWNED! =P When I go back and reread some of my things and find a misspelled word, i just cringe. Its been my experiance to tell someone else do the reading. No joke, out of the fics i wrote I must have re-read them twenty times over to make sure. But after a while your eyes get so used to the same text, you automatcially miss the same things. I had a select few read my fics before i posted them, and i was surpsied at the amount of errors they still had. This is because a fresh, new pair of eyes read over a caught new mistakes I kept missing before. Here's my biggest pet peeve: people who never finish stories. That drives me nuts quicker than anything else. HELL YES, finally someone brings this up! This is the reason why I never posted my one chaptered story until it was 90% done. Cause I didnt want to leave readers hanging on! If you post as you write, then have a dry spell, it could be months, even YEARS, before you post another chapter and by then you have lost, and betrayed, your readers. Its good to have the story almost done first, then post it up every couple weeks or so, to give people just enough to make them come back for more. Another factor, when an author tries to come back to a fic he/she left months/years back, trying to get back into that state of mind you were in when you originally started the fic is pretty much impossible, as your tastes have changd, you've grown, etc. Then you will have left your readers and yourelf done. So you'll either never finish your fic, your wrap it up quickly with a bad ending that never would have happened if you had kept up pace with it, and youre just ending it for the sake of putting it to rest. One good save I must mention was Sliver Kitten's "A Flaw In Perfection". It was over a year (I think it was, its hard to recall) before the last part/ending was posted, and it was well worth the wait because it was great, its like she never left ir for the time that she did because it gave the story a great closure and was written well and characters personalityes were still intact from older chapters. Especially if the story is good. "What Is And What Should Never Be" - Willy D, last updated April 2004! *Cries*. And it make matter worse, when I finally contacted him in May 2006, this is what he had to say about it. Mostly, it was life that got in the way of the continuation of the fic: "And as for my story...yes, I STILL want to finish it, but I have no idea how the hell I can. It's not an issue of time as much as not remembering where it was going. I had about one page of the next chapter done when I stopped writing, and I read it about two weeks ago. I was totally lost. I couldn't remember what I wanted to happen next. And I couldn't tell you how the story was going to end without writing it even if I wanted to! XD But if I can re-visualize it, or come up with a new vision I feel is "worthy," then you can bet your ass you'll see a new chapter." I'm losing hope, and it sucks, because overall that was a good fic. Even had that HA! humor and took place just after the movie when the kids are in fifth grade. Oh and BTW, Lord Malachite? I remember when LM was here all the time. Wha happened? ;) Okay, I've spent far too long on this post and the Daily Show is one. Goodnight! -Stephen Update, pushed to when The Colbert Report came on cause when i hit post it never posted! i had it pasted but presses the wrong buttons and ended up copy of older version of the post i had in Word, so i had to reread everything twice cause i made little updates. ARHRHRHRGH! ---- Greenorbs2, 3/22/2007 12:59 AM :I don't know why ff.net doesn't allow script form. I just read it in the rules one day while I was reviewing my own fic for an upcoming chap. Again, I've previously broken the rules too, but not while using that format. It's a shame since script form is so easily readable. While HA! is a kid's show, try to tolerate other authors' needs to express their creative instincts, even if it means progressing the characters' ages. Most authors still with the HA! fandom are now in their late twenties or older(I didn't say all authors, folks), so it's difficult to get a new chapter out on a timely basis while dealing with grueling real life issues. So, don't harp too much on any author for not posting right away. Stephen, I know a fic where Phoebe doesn't "end up with Arnold", Curly is not a "gun toter", Helga has not "attempted suicide", Arnold has not "moved away, and Helga not really an "angsty teen". Only thing that is in there. Miriam's ongoing battle with alcoholism(which was in fact indirectly portrayed in the series). Think of the blender in "Summer Love". Come to think of it, there are HA! fans out there who've never watched "Dawson's Creek". lol Number of reviews is not an indication of the quality of the story. This can also be applied to real life media. If this was the case with Annie Proulx's "Close Range", Brokeback Mountain would never have been released as a movie. Her compilation of short stories probably had more readers after that little piece landed on the silver screen. As far as I'm concerned, I like to read all types of HA! fanfiction, from comedy to angst, innocent children to life learned experienced adults. While each one has a different flavor, all these fics have one thing in common. The author is a serious HA! fan. WillyD....ahh...I miss his writing, but I know he's busy with his current line of employment and is serious about expanding his education. Right now, he hasn't got the time. LM...he's probably about as busy as me. He's got work too. Everyone waiting for IG...well I am too. Patience people! Everyone posting on this topic has made wonderful points on what he/she dislikes in a fic and I'm glad each and every one has backed up those points. Here's something to ponder over: While deviantart doesn't allow an "exact replica" of a character, I wonder why an author can post a fic on ff.net that "runs just like a HA! episode". Go figure. -Jae- ---- Lord_Malachite, 3/22/2007 8:39 AM :Wow, and here I thought everyone had forgotten about HA fanfiction, let alone me! Personally, I have seen many a fanfic over the years for all sorts of fandom, and it's few and far between that I take the time to look at them. I feel that the summary has to have a huge hook, or give me a real indication of what's inside. As has already been mentioned, it has to have a good summary, but also demonstrate that the author is competent. If the author states that he or she sucks at summaries, I guarantee you I won't bother to click, because if you can't be bothered to describe your own story to me, then I frankly can't be bothered to spend my valuable time on it. I know that a story that is OOC always bothers me. I don't mind whether the characters are "show age" or more adult, I've worked in both mediums. But I do feel that in either case, the characters have to be recognizable. But even so, there are many fanfics I don't read simply because of time. I would rather write a fic than read one, and since I follow book series and play a lot of video games and have my own life, everything has been suffering as of late. I confess that my workload and playload over the past year or so has had a miserable effect on my output of fanfiction, grinding it to an outright halt. Laurel, Jae, Stephen, I truly apologize to all of you who have been waiting on more of my work. I haven't given up on it. For anyone who cares, here's an update on what I'm working on. The order you see it in should reflect the order stuff gets released in... "Fly Away Home," a one-shot fic based on the obscure cartoon series "Growing Up Creepie." My assumption is that no one will read it, but I'm doing it anyway because I have an idea and I want to. "Operation: M.O.T.H.E.R." It's about time for the first chapter of my KND fic to appear, it's already late, something my co-author and I are remedying as fast as possible. "Instant Gratification." Let's not mince words. This needs an update. Especially since it's pretty damn close to the end. I'm going to finish it. I promise! "Gravity." This needs an update in the worst way. I just need to get back to writing every week. Somebody, please scare me into getting back on track! I miss this little Chuckie/Angelica fun, so expect me to continue it. Especially since it's tied to "Instant Gratification!" I know that list isn't much, and it's bound to disappoint some people, but I'm just keeping you informed. It's good to be back, so I hope that everyone will stay in touch. Lord Malachite ---- Bellethetrickster, 4/1/2007 1:31 AM :Pretty much agree with most of what was said here. My suggestions might come off as being freshly pulled out of my sphincter, but I honestly don't say these things to sound mean, or to make folks stop writing. On the contrary; I enjoy a good fic... when the author takes the time to write one, and to consider any possible disparity between what goes on in the author's head and what ends up being written on the author's page. You might have some good ideas; said ideas just might not always be written well. Anyway, here are my suggestions: 1) Grammar/spelling - Definitely important, and the author should make as much of an effort as possible to check for such errors. Of course, if there are three commas out of place in a 10,000-word story, that's completely forgivable. 2) OOC - This one REALLY annoys me. I think a lot of this ties into the "Dawson's Creek clone" stuff that goes on in the fandom. Big Bob would never lay a hand on Helga unless he didn't recognize her and saw her as a threat (see Halloween episode), and Helga would never cut herself or get herself pregnant by Arnold so that she could run away with Curly or Brainy. Geeeeeeeez. Time to pull the reins on those raging hormones. 3) Character bashing - this one also ties into #2. One thing I really hate is all the Lila-bashing.. yeah, you know why. She's an obstacle in Arnold and Helga's road to twoo wuv. Whatever. I know Lila can be "perfect" at times, and once in a while, she comes off as being shallow, but overall, she's a kind person and would never intentionally harm anyone, and certainly not out of jealousy or obsession (well, maybe in a FANTASY of Helga's, sure). Don't like Lila? Fine. No one's forcing you to write her in your story. And if you need to rape her personality just to make Helga and Arnold look good, maybe that's a sign your plot isn't as solid as it seems. 4) TMI - yes. Did somebody grow up? That's fine. I DON'T NEED TO KNOW THEIR EXACT DIMENSIONS. If Helga became a fine beauty with a fine figure, that's fine. Subtly mention someplace that she's filled out if you have to, but for God's sake, I don't need to know she has a 36DD cup size! TOO. MUCH. INFORMATION. Not to mention completely immature and tacky, and turns me off of the story. 5) Beauty and the clichéd road to happiness - look...let's face facts. At the age of nine, Helga is not some stunning beauty. She's not! The show has acknowledged this. And she herself has acknowledged this. But don't get me wrong; I don't find her horribly ugly, either. I think the fact she constantly scowls and rarely shows a tender side to those with whom she interacts is what makes her so darn unattractive. What bugs me are these "makeover" fics that suddenly "uncover" some hidden beauty of Helga's, and magically, that makes Arnold fall in love with her. Why can't Arnold fall in love with Helga just as she is? Okay. Realistically, I know Helga has to loosen up a little, but why does there have to be a makeover or a "beauty contest" to make Arnold notice her? I always figured Arnold grew more fond of Helga every time he saw a kinder side to her. Helga dressing up shouldn't solidify that... it should be the other way around. Whoa, now THAT's a rant! 6) Songfics - I know, I know. These are incredibly tempting to write. I've done a couple myself, though was never satisfied with them. My main peeve is where 95% of the story is the song, with only 5% is actual story. It's so easy to rely on the lyrics, and throw in a few sentences around it so that the audience knows it's about Arnold or Helga or whoever. It's so easy. But it doesn't make a good story. The song should be a background item, and never the icing on the cake (too much icing can make you sick anyway). And I think it's generally a bad idea to have a character sing the entire song lyrics just to make another character notice them. Again, this often leads to the song lyrics being the main focus, and any original lines "weak" accompaniment. 7) Canon - I don't mind a story where change happens. I do mind when everything is thrown into chaos and there isn't any explanation for it at all. If Helga falls in love with Brainy, that's fine. But saying she falls in love with him days after sleeping with Arnold makes it a bit random, considering all those years she's been obsessed with the football head. This is not canon information, so where's the change? Explain this change through a good plot, proper character development, and plausible events that help the change along. Remember that there is a history already in place. If that's too much work, then maybe rethink the kind of story you want to write. --- The following are just personal preferences. They don't really make or break a story, but some things will make me not so eager to read. 1. Any fic rated above K+/PG - sorry, I saw them as kids for a good five seasons. I realize they'll eventually grow up, but it's hard for me to click on a T-rated fic and see somebody cussing every other word and mentioning sex and emo cutting and rape and abuse. I know the show underwent a bit of censoring--Miriam really does have an alcohol problem--but somehow, they managed to keep things light. What I'm saying is, I don't think the entire universe should change just because the kids grow up. They should be into more mature things, but when I see dialogue like, "I want you to stick your dick in me, Football Head," I just can't take it very seriously. 2. There's more to the pairing world than Arnold/Helga. Srsly. I love them as much as the next fan, but I swear 80% of fics are about them. And not even as PART of the plot. The pairing IS the plot. (I smiled today when I saw a Harold/Patty on ff.net.) 3. This is more about reviewers than fanfiction... and I know I'm also guilty of this at times. It bugs me when I see a story that's just littered with grammar/spelling mistakes, completely out of character, trashy descriptions, etc... yet the review is full of glowing praise. And not just the "good fic! rite mor plzkthx!!!1 ps review mine 2" ones. I mean ones that go into detail about how apparently Bob molesting Helga is a perfectly acceptable plot, and how Lila needs to die because she's an insensitive b*tch about Helga's crisis. (I guess I should be grateful I don't spend any more time reading HA! fics as I already do, LOL) Wow, that's another long post to add to the pile. Hehe. ---- Lilchamor, 5/10/2007 4:02 AM :Wow, these are great comments. I totally agree with most of the stuff on here, and it makes me consider the plans I had for my own fanfic. Another thing I thought of: Is it romantic or funny, or just.....perverted? Okay, so I had a good laugh over DV's "April Fool's Day-The Unaired Episode". But sometimes, it gets ridiculous. There's a reason why M fics aren't popular. Most people just don't want to read Hey Arnold porn. If it's subtle, and funny, it might be worth reading. If it plays into the plot, it's worth reading. But when it's just some writer's twisted fantasies rehashed onto paper, then things get ugly. Here's where the whole, "I want you to stick your dick in me, Football Head," comes into play. It's not believable. It serves no real purpose. I may be wrong, but I don't think that sex really played a big part of any plot in the TV show. Okay, so Helga fainted when she saw Arnold getting undressed in "Helga's Parrot." And that AFD tango scene was slightly....raunchy. But those were few, rare moments. And intercourse between nine year olds is just disturbing. Come on, now. ;) ---- SeraphimKiss, 5/11/2007 11:11 PM :I agree with a lot of what's been said already, so here's a complaint that hasn't been voiced yet (maybe no one else agrees): In romance fics--and this goes for any fandom--I HATE it when they're already together... Or when they already know, or figure out, that the feeling is mutual before that "special moment" when they make their feelings known. It kills the fic. The whole story has been leading up to that moment, and it ruins the suspense when they're already sure that they feel the same way about each other. They should be nervous and uncertain, maybe even completely hopeless. But they shouldn't know that their feelings will be reciprocated. That's more of a personal preference than a justified complaint, though. And there are a *few* exceptions--like drabbles or one-shots. "Snapshot" by Smarty007 is a good example. A peek into the married life of Arnold and Helga, or a date with Gerald and Phoebe, is cute as long as you keep it brief. Otherwise, it's overkill. ---- Cool, 5/18/2007 4:30 AM :wowowowowow, I totally havent been keeping track of this place for over a week, been TOOOOO busy with work. And its now been over six months and my MSN Groups stats things is still froze so I never know how many new posts are being posted and what's going on. F***. Okay, so Helga fainted when she saw Arnold getting undressed in "Helga's Parrot." And that AFD tango scene was slightly....raunchy. But those were few, rare moments. Best. Scene. Ever. Also, Carlos and the ladies in 'Summer Love' - "Are you ready to unwind?" Stephen ---- Lord_Malachite, 5/25/2007 5:12 AM :The scene with Carlos, Susie, and Miriam is perhaps my favorite in the entire series, because if that isn't implied sex, I don't know what is!